No surprises tonight on the Dancing with the Stars results show. In this mid-season, double-elimination round, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and reality TV star Holly Madison were sent packing.

Viewers finally got over their allegiance to the underdog and showed they want nothing but a real dance competition from here on in. Wozniak, who with partner Karina Smirnoff got only 12 votes from the judges Monday night, didn't get as much love from his fans as he hoped.

In his parting remarks, the smiling Wozniak told an almost voiceless co-host Samantha Harris (anyone besides me actually prefer her that way?) that he loved dancing with Karina. (Geek dancing with babe -- well, of course he did!) And Holly, who joined the competition at the last minute when Jewell dropped out from an injury, said it was a lot physically harder than she thought it would be and -- it's totally a girl thing -- the costumes were fun!

Also in the bottom three but saved to compete again next week were Steve-O and Lacey Schwimmer. This Jackass is going to have to toughen up and concentrate if he hopes to compete against the rest of the celebrity dancers who, for the most part, are getting better every week.

Once upon a time, major league baseball stadiums offered the standard fare: Hot dogs, crackerjacks and roasted peanuts in the shell, along with an ice cold soda or bottled beer. Needless to say, as the next era of baseball begins in the Bronx even seasoned New York Yankees fans will have something new to turn their noses at.

The "Bronx Bombers" and Legends Hospitality, the exclusive provider of concessions, catering and merchandising services for the club, have announced a series of premium dining experiences at the New Yankee Stadium -- The 'Legends Culinary Series' and Food Network's first-ever food stands.

With their hottest performances of the season, actor Gilles Marini and Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft once again landed on top of the leader board during the fourth week of Dancing with the Stars.

Every Wednesday, I’m her nightmare. She makes magic,” actor Gilles Marini said of his partner, Cheryl Burke, after the judges awarded them the first triple tens this season. Somehow, it’s hard to imagine Gilles being anyone’s nightmare, even if he had two left feet. Thank goodness for Cheryl, he’s got the right feet and more. Their Argentine Tango was breathtaking. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba paid the highest compliment of all – “I couldn’t tell who was the professional and who wasn’t,” she said, after they performed.

Melissa and partner Tony Dovolani followed closely behind with her well deserved 29 points. Melissa took the judges comments from last week to heart. They told her to step up her game and the end result was a Lindy Hop with challenging lifts and so much “eye-popping fun” that it brought the audience to its feet.

Lil’ Kim proved she’s got more than the “bionic bootie” Judge Len Goodman labeled last week. The beautifully lines and drama she and Derek Hough put into their Argentine Tango brought another standing ovation. They placed third on the leader board with 27 points.

Professional dancer Mark Ballas tried to make the most of Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson’s gymnastics skills working them into their Lindy Hop choreography. But the judges weren’t all that impressed with Shawn’s flips and wanted "a little more dance." Now, isn’t everything relative? Had that been Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on the floor, the judges would have smothered him with tens for flips like hers! Really, judges! Shawn’s gymnastics were impeccable, her dance steps were on and this was one dance that afforded her the opportunity to be in her own element for a change.She deserved a bit higher than the 25 points she drew.

There was little sign of promise going on in the middle of the Leader Board. In his Lindy Hop, rodeo star Ty Murray was “jumping and kicking with the vitality of a wild stallion,” Bruno said. I suppose that’s a good thing. Chuck Wicks and David Allen Grier were good – for them – but forgettable.

Jackass Steve-O and reality star Holly Madison, both complaining of aches and pains, have only a slight lead on computer geek Steve Wozniak, who’s at the bottom of the Leader Board with 12 points and not too concerned about it. “The judges hate me, the fans love me,” he said. Actually, Steve, I distinctly heard two of the three judges use the word “love” in their critiques. Steve’s taking no chances. He hit the streets “hard” this past week with an entire entourage of geeks riding Segways, in an effort to win votes. “The judges have forsaken me, but the geeks shall inherit the earth,” he said.

Steve knows that the final results are based on viewers’ votes, as well as what the judges had to say. For the first time ever, the show will have a mid-season, double-elimination. Tuesday night, the two couples with the lowest scores will be eliminated.

If we were making a checklist from tonight's Castle, it might look something like this:

- Dead politician? Check.

- Expensive escort? Check.

- Blackmail? Check.

- Corruption and betrayal? Check.

- Grieving widow? Well Hillary Clinton she's wasn't.

Also coming up after the break, Castle & Beckett graduate from platonic friendship to full-fledged flirting. (Hey, who says a body wrapped in a rug can't be the spark that ignites a full-blown romance?)

I know that's a jokey title, and that it's bad form to make fun of sick people, or in this case, sick fictional characters.

Maybe I'd take it more seriously if I thought for a second that Jack was in any danger at all.

But this episode is airing less than a week after Kiefer Sutherland said there'll be an eighth season of 24, which means will Jack will either undergo a miraculous recovery or find out the CDC was wrong by the end of the season.

"Down," the fourth episode of Breaking Bad's second season, found the two main characters still dealing with the fallout from their kidnapping a few weeks back.

While Walt tried to "mend fences" with his family -- which he's losing with every passing day -- Jesse was completely cut off from his. The conclusion reached by this episode: that for now, all these characters have is each other.

And boy, is that depressing. Breaking Bad has -- 14 episodes in -- arrived at a point The Shield eventually got to. In attempting to make the future brighter for his family, Walt will end up losing it.

Every once in a while, a television series hits a defining moment where a light goes on and you realize, "Aha. This is why I've been watching."

For most Grey's Anatomy fans that moment came last night, when Derek Shepherd plastered the elevator in brain scans and then professed to Meredith, "You say you're all dark and twisty. It's not a flaw. It's a strength. It makes you who you are. I'm not going to get down on one knee. I'm not going to ask a question. I love you Meredith Grey and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Seriously (seriously?!), was that not the most romantic thing you've ever seen on TV? Sure, it was minus the grand gestures, rings, champagne and cheesy candle outlines on a hill, but it was so ... Derek. Plus, I loved that this perfect little moment invoked the history of this couple and how they came to be. It was a flawless moment in a season rife with weirdness, and it made me hit the rewind button on my DVR at least a dozen times. It also came at the end of another all-around fantastic episode.

In other words, we have lots to talk about so feel free to come inside...

Despite being in danger for elimation for the second time, Reading line cook Andrea Heinly managed to avoid being sent home on Day 8 of "Hell's Kitchen."

Andrea and her arch nemesis Carol were in danger after the Red Team faltered at a dinner service that featured a surprise appearance by actors Eric McCormack of "Trust Me" and Robert Patrick of "the Unit."

But it was whiny Lacey and the hardworking but uninspired LA who got sent home.

On the Blue Team, Lacey started causing problems early on the meat station. As the shorthanded team struggled to get their entrees out, Lacey served up a poorly cooked Beef Wellington and then lamb. At that point a disgusted Chef Gordon Ramsay, booted the lazy cook from the kitchen in the middle of dinner and the remaining three chefs on the Blue Team pulled together and won the service.

On the Red Team, Carol struggled all night and, typically, tried to blame it all on Andrea. The women and Giovanni all agreed Carol was the weakest chef, but couldn't agree on a second nominee for elimiation. Frustrated by their indecision, Ramsay told Carol, Andrea and LA to step forward, ultimately choosing LA who he said lacked "leadership and creativity."

Next week, the competition promises to heat up with only three women and four men left in the competition.

If last week's Office -- in which a new boss brings an unwelcome dose of reality to Dunder Mifflin -- was depressing, this week's episode was downright devastating. And in the case of both episodes, I mean that in a good way. It isn't always going to be Pretzel Day.

Maybe it's just because I work in an industry that seems especially suspectible to job cuts, but this was the hardest episode to watch since "The Dinner Party" last season. It's not that there wasn't anything funny -- the Monster/Monsters.com gag was brilliant-- but overall, it was tough going.

Is it just me, or was Michael Sarver a wee bit excited about being eliminated Thursday night? The once loved "oil-rig roughneck" was axed after his slightly crazed version of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" failed to impress the judges and, clearly, America. And the boy went out smiling. From the minute his name was called to the moment Simon said, "you're going home," Michael smiled and nodded. I'm sure he's happy to be rejoining his family and consoled by the fact that he's going on tour, baby! See you at Stabler, Mikey.

Many thanks to those of you who participated in our little contest. An overwhelming number of you (including me) were right on the money for your No. 10 slot, including Rhonda (hi, mom!), Mike, "Watched it for eight years," Kathleen, Ellie, Anna, Lynn, Tammy, Marc, Cindy, Betty, Melissa, Karen, Harrison and Betsy. Congrats everybody! I'm happy to announce you all are still in the running for our big prize ...

Drum roll, please ...

A signed poster by the Top 36! WOO! That should be worth something on eBay one day, right?

Keep watching next week to see who's luck will run out next. Until then.

Doylestown native and former American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini spilled the beans on air that the "America Idol" contestants lip sync during their group performances.

Guarini, who finished second to Kelly Calrkson on the first season of "Idol," now is co-host of "Idol Wrap" on the TV Guide Network. During the show last week, Guarini admitted the idols lips sync during their weekly group numbers, something "Idol" producers originally denied but later acknowledged, according to the The New York Times.

"Every single year, we can't stand the group performances," Guarini said. "I know they can't stand it either. And I think what makes them even worse now is that they're lip-synced. They're really prerecorded now."

It has appeared to viewers in recent weeks that the contestants aren't singing during group numbers. During last week's show, Megan Joy held the microphone away from her face during the song and several other singers dropped their microphones to their sides before the vocals were completely over.

Manfred Westphal, a spokesman for FremantleMedia which produces "American Idol" said Tuesday the "Idols" never lip sync but admitted in a e-mail Wednesday, the contestants do sing along to their own prerecorded tracks in their group perfromance "due to extensive choreography."

The Idols typically do the group performance at the beginning of the results show which is at 8 p.m. today on Fox.

I stand by what I said last week: Damages could have focused solely on the new characters it interested this season and been just as watchable. In fact, it might be more watchable. At this point, I'm beyond caring about Rose Byrne, ostensibly the hero of the show. Give me more of UNR and its flawed, evil corporate world.

Last week focused on Marcia Gay Harden; this week it's William Hurt. His Daniel Purcell disappeared for the middle portion of the season, showed up at the end of last week, and came back in this episode with a (literal) vengeance.

"I've been in hell," Purcell says towards the end of the episode, talking about Dante's Inferno, and the sinners that are cursed to see the past and the future, but never the present.

(An interesting literary reference for a show that gives us glimpses of the past and future in ways that are constantly shifting our understanding of the present.)

This week, to get out of hell, or maybe just to bring others down to his level, Purcell took a few interesting steps... (spoilers ahead)

In at least one crucial way, "He's Our You" was like something from Lost's earlier seasons. It followed an older pattern.

Back in seasons one through three, we'd see glimpses from a character's past that showed us their flaws (Charlie is a heroin addict; Locke will listen to anything someone in a position of authority tells him), while the storyline in the present shows us whether they can get beyond those weaknesses.

In season four, they mostly dropped those type episodes, and chose to use flashbacks and flashforwards that were more about story than character.

And now in season five, they're at a place where the flashbacks can serve both character and story. "He's Our You" opened with a flashback to Sayid as a child in Iraq, effortlessly strangling a chicken while his brother -- who was actually meant to do the job -- watched. The rest of the episode is about Sayid wrestling with his nature. It's a battle we know he'll lose (spoilers ahead, for his episode and a mention about next week's)...

Surprising that Grand Old Opry week would land better than Motown, but many of this week's performances were just meh for me. Like Simon said, Anoop did look half asleep during his rendition of "Oh, baby, baby" (sorry, boo, you know I ain't got nuttin but love) and Michael, Lil and Megan just yelled at the audience. Allison yelled too, but at least she had some flava.

This competition is clearly between three people: Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. (Sorry, Idol judges, for all your pimping of Matty G, I'm still not onboard. He's a good singer, but he's not a star.) And it seems you, my dear readers, agree. Nearly all of you ranked Gokey and Little Lamb in the top two spots, with Kris hot on their heels.

I have to say, Gokey has lost a lot of his allure, for me. I think he's a sweet guy and has some solid pipes, but he's reminds me of past Idol stars like Taylor Hicks and Clay Aiken. They have strong voices, too. That doesn't mean they should be pop stars. As the record charts show.

Kris and Adam, on the other hand, have some serious street cred. Kris because his brand of college kid cute screams, "I'm the next Jack Johnson" and Adam because HE IS AMAZING. And apparently, a ringer for the King of Rock, Mr. Elvis Presley.

His version of "tracks of my tears" had me frozen in my seat. And that's saying a lot, because typically while I watch Idol, I'm also taking notes, answering emails, shopping on etsy and knitting. I'm Gen Y. I'm almost incapable of concentrating on just one task. Yet this week and last, Little Lamb captured my attention and held it. He's inventive, theatrical (and NO, that is NOT a bad thing) and crazy talented. I vote yes.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow we'll see which of our Idol psychics guessed correctly. I'm going to go out on a limb and say MY prediction was right on the money. Thursday night, methinks Michael will go bye bye.

The results show: OK, so I was wrong on two counts after yesterday's show. The biggie was Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder, who won the hearts of viewers and will come back to strut his stuff again next week. I'm not really surprised. Every year viewers 'adopt a puppy' -- someone they think is awfully cute or funny. Unfortunately, it's always the one with the weakest dancing skills, and they'll vote that person through week after week. Remember Cloris Leachman and Jerry Springer?

I also was wrong about the Barbie dolls with the Raggedy Ann legs -- Denise Richards and Holly Madison -- outlasting Wozniak. Viewers didn't have much use for their performances. They ended up with the lowest number of votes. Both fought to redeem themselves in the final dance-off but didn't do much better than they did the night before.

Although Denise showed a bit more improvement than Holly and scored higher marks from the judges, viewers' votes also counted into the decision and she was voted off.

The cream continued to rise to the top on Week Three of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, leaving no surprises about who landed at the top of the leader board, based on the judges' scores. Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson and her partner Mark Ballas, Actor Gilles Marini and partner Cheryl Burke, and Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani shared the top slot, each team drawing triple nines from the judges. Shawn, Gilles and Melissa have pretty much proved they're top contenders since Week One.

In this week's foxtrot, Shawn put to work previous advice by the judges to smooth her sharp, crisp gymnastic moves and show more emotion. After Shawn lit up the stage with her smile, as well as her smooth and graceful movement, Judge Carri Ann Inaba said the Olympic athlete looked like a beautiful princess.

Gilles had moves of another sort and had no problems showing them in his samba. "You shook things I didn't know guys could shake!" Judge Carri Ann Inaba said. Judge Len Goodman said he made the samba, a really hard Latin dance, look really easy.

The Bachelor who? Melissa dances like she's put him behind her for good. There's absolutely nothing embarassing about what's happening to her on this show. Judge Bruno Tonioli told Melissa that her foxtrot with Tony Dovolani was "beautiful to look at and easy to love." But Carri Ann, while agreeing she's an excellent dancer, thinks it's time for the former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader to try more challenging choreography.

Not far behind in points were Lil' Kim and partner Derek Hough, who scored 26 for their hot samba and what Lil' Kim's "bionic bootie," as Len called it.

There were no surprises on the bottom of the leader board either. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak scraped up 10 points and some pretty brutal comments from the judges. Steve pulled a hamstring during practice week, losing valuable practice time he couldn't afford to lose. But really ... in his case, it probably wouldn't matter. He has zero grace BUT tries hard and always wea a smile. You almost want to vote for him because you have to wonder why they threw him in the mix with all the coordinated people. (Hint to Steve: For a free Apple computer -- that new 17-inch laptop with the long-life battery -- I'd vote for you every week for the rest of the season. Others might, too.)

Oops! Did I say ALL the coordinated people? Actually, Steve isn't alone in the lacking-coordination department. In Monday night's performances, Holly Madison and Denise Richards looked like Barbie dolls with Raggedy-Ann legs being dragged around the dance floor by their partners, Dmitry Chaplin and Maks Chmerkovskiy, respectively. Of course, unlike poor Steve, viewers may keep the girls on the show for qualities other than their dancing skills.

Julianne Hough will make a dancer out of boyfriend Chuck Wicks yet. He stepped up his game considerably, drawing 23 points from the judges. Carrie Ann brought smiles to the couple's faces when she said "someone is showing us he could possibly be a contender."

Radio champ Ty Murray had another solid week, actually catching partner Chelsie Hightower when she slid in the midst of their dance. "We didn't practice that one," he said modestly, while waiting for their score of a respectable 23 points.

David Allen Grier and Kym Johnson scored a 24 for their foxtrot, which Carri Ann said was his best dance of the season. And superbowl Champion Lawrence Taylor found his groove, showing more rhythm in his samba than he's revealed so far the season.

Steve-O came back to perform despite pain from a back injury that sidelined him last week, when he was judged on a practice performance. While given a "E" for effort, sadly, he fell short, explaining that he "drew a blank." Back meds will do that to you.

While Steve Wozniak is a shoo-in to be eliminated on the results show, which airs Tuesday at 9 p.m., stranger things have happened. Who knows? Maybe there's a lot of new Apple laptop owners out there.

Another Monday, another episode of Castle and another mystery made less predictable by the minute. (Officially, if you had played a drinking game with the whodunit tonight, you probably would've passed out by the midpoint -- but at least your friends wouldn't have been plotting to kill you as you lapsed into unconsciousness.)

I don't have much to add beyond that, except to say that I continue to like Nathan Fillion, much more than I enjoy his hokey interaction with Stana Katic. These two are feeling less and less compatible, and that's a problem when the show is banking on some sort of flirty, fun dynamic between its leads.

The problem, indeed, is that Castle is charming all the time (even when his phone plays a cheesy melodramatic ringtone every time Det. Beckett calls, prompting him to answer, "Who died and was it gruesome?") He's also almost always right, and seems 10 steps ahead of the cops he's shadowing as they piece together clues to solve the latest crime of the week. This time around Castle correctly predicted who pulled the trigger on a once-wealthy teenager whose body was found in a rowboat in Central Park. (Hint: It was one of his still-wealthy friends, who ran their alibis in circles until even I got dizzy.)

As a crime novelist, I know that Castle can give all kind of insight into motive, means and opportunity. But this week he wrapped everything up in such a neat little bow, it was almost a shame to rip off the packaging. Det. Beckett actually felt like his sidekick instead of the other way around, and it was hard to watch her channel her inner Mariska Hargitay while her quasi-partner did all the legwork.

On that note ... what did everybody else think? Were you wooed by the mystery of the murdered little rich kids? Is the chemistry between Fillion and Katic getting worse instead of better? And did anyone else cringe at the crying teenage daughter who admitted to dad she was a ...turnstile-jumper?

The cream continued to rise to the top on Week Three of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, leaving no surprises about who landed at the top of the leader board, based on the judges' scores. Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson and her partner Mark Ballas, Actor Gilles Marini and partner Cheryl Burke, and Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani shared the top slot, each team drawing triple nines from the judges. Shawn, Gilles and Melissa have pretty much proved they're top contenders since Week One.

In this week's foxtrot, Shawn put to work previous advice by the judges to smooth her sharp, crisp gymnastic moves and show more emotion. After Shawn lit up the stage with her smile, as well as her smooth and graceful movement, Judge Carri Ann Inaba said the Olympic athlete looked like a beautiful princess.

Gilles had moves of another sort and had no problems showing them in his samba. "You shook things I didn't know guys could shake!" Judge Carri Ann Inaba said. Judge Len Goodman said he made the samba, a really hard Latin dance, look really easy.

The Bachelor who? Melissa dances like she's put him behind her for good. There's absolutely nothing embarassing about what's happening to her on this show. Judge Bruno Tonioli told Melissa that her foxtrot with Tony Dovolani was "beautiful to look at and easy to love." But Carri Ann, while agreeing she's an excellent dancer, thinks it's time for the former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader to try more challenging choreography.

Not far behind in points were Lil' Kim and partner Derek Hough, who scored 26 for their hot samba and what Lil' Kim's "bionic bootie," as Len called it.

There were no surprises on the bottom of the leader board either. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak scraped up 10 points and some pretty brutal comments from the judges. Steve pulled a hamstring during practice week, losing valuable practice time he couldn't afford to lose. But really ... in his case, it probably wouldn't matter. He has zero grace BUT tries hard and always wea a smile. You almost want to vote for him because you have to wonder why they threw him in the mix with all the coordinated people. (Hint to Steve: For a free Apple computer -- that new 17-inch laptop with the long-life battery -- I'd vote for you every week for the rest of the season. Others might, too.)

Oops! Did I say ALL the coordinated people? Actually, Steve isn't alone in the lacking-coordination department. In Monday night's performances, Holly Madison and Denise Richards looked like Barbie dolls with Raggedy-Ann legs being dragged around the dance floor by their partners, Dmitry Chaplin and Maks Chmerkovskiy, respectively. Of course, unlike poor Steve, viewers may keep the girls on the show for qualities other than their dancing skills.

Julianne Hough will make a dancer out of boyfriend Chuck Wicks yet. He stepped up his game considerably, drawing 23 points from the judges. Carrie Ann brought smiles to the couple's faces when she said "someone is showing us he could possibly be a contender."

Radio champ Ty Murray had another solid week, actually catching partner Chelsie Hightower when she slid in the midst of their dance. "We didn't practice that one," he said modestly, while waiting for their score of a respectable 23 points.

David Allen Grier and Kym Johnson scored a 24 for their foxtrot, which Carri Ann said was his best dance of the season. And superbowl Champion Lawrence Taylor found his groove, showing more rhythm in his samba than he's revealed so far the season.

Steve-O came back to perform despite pain from a back injury that sidelined him last week, when he was judged on a practice performance. While given a "E" for effort, sadly, he fell short, explaining that he "drew a blank." Back meds will do that to you.

While Steve Wozniak is a shoo-in to be eliminated on the results show, which airs Tuesday at 9 p.m., stranger things have happened. Who knows? Maybe there's a lot of new Apple laptop owners out there.

Reading Chef Andrea Heinly saw her Red Team come together to win Thursday when Chef Ramsay switched chef Giovanni from Blue to Red to even out the numbers.

"We needed a little testosterone," Andrea said gleefully. "It balances out the hormones."

The Red Team needed something since the tension between Andrea and Carol came to a head last week. Andrea tried to justify chosing LA and Coi as her picks to go last week, surprising everyone, who thought she'd choose nemesis Carol. The result is a team split down the middle and the addition of Giovanni really was a shot in the arm for the team.

The Red Team won a tapas challenge, led by Andrea's lobster ravioli and Giovanni's meat dish, which earned them a day at the races. Andrea got a good omen when her horse "Victory's Lady" won.

During dinner service, chaos reined for the Blue Team. J's rice was mushy, forcing Ramsay to remove risotto from the menu and a whiny Lacey again threatened to quit.

Andrea and Carol came under fire for undercooked pasta which Pamsay forced them to eat in the dining room. The incident left an irate Carol with the conviction that Andrea had let her take the fall.

J stumbled again, putting out rubbery scallops and a furious Ramsay sent him away telling him to take off his jacket.

With the Red Team the obvious winner, the Blue Team had Ben and Lacey on the chopping block. However Ramsay gave them one more chance since he had already sent home J.

On next week's episode the pressure is on as the chefs cook dinner for celebrities. According to the

For you, fans of "Grey's Anatomy," I would break into song (hence the title). I'd also go trek through the woods (completely in fear of being hacked into pieces, put on a spit and turned into schiskabobs by a one-armed man) ... but I'd go. As long as it meant we could have more episodes like this one.

The fact that I'm not quite sure where to begin with all the things I loved about tonight's show says a lot. It's really the first time in seasons that I've wanted to hit the repeat button on the DVR and watch from start to finish all over again.

For the first three seasons of HBO's The Wire, a good amount of the Baltimore police major crime unit's attention was focused on a man named Stringer Bell. As played by British actor Idris Elba, Bell was a drug lord who acted more like a drug CFO: taking MBA classes, holding meets -- complete with Robert's Rules of Order -- and more concerned with profits than street rep. It was an outstanding performance -- were there any bad ones on The Wire? -- but not one that would make you think "I'd like to see this guy in a comedy."

Yet here he is on The Office, and he's great. Maybe it's because he's not funny. On a show that's gotten a lot more sitcommy than it once was, Elba brought a cold dose of reality with his first -- of six -- appearances Thursday night. It's one of the better episodes of this season.

I am about to boldy go where no blogger has gone before. Ok, that may not be true. I mean, there are a LOT of "American Idol" bloggers out there and who knows what they've been up to for the past eight years, but whatever. It's about to get crazy up in here. No, not crazy. MAD.

Who says sports fans have all the fun? I am officially starting our very own "American Idol" March Madness bracket! I've listed my predictions for the remainder of the "Idol" season below. Most likely, I will fail miserably, but that's half the fun, isn't it? Who wants to join me?

Post your own top ten list in the comment box below by Wednesday at 8 p.m. and you'll have a chance to win bragging rights and a fabulous prize (TBD.) Here goes nothin:

10. Michael Sarver

9. Scott Macintyre

8. Megan Joy

7. Matt Giraud

6. Allison Iraheta

5. Anoop Desai

4. Kris Allen

3. Danny Gokey

2. Lil Rounds

1. Adam Lambert

I know that there are a lot of Little Lamb haters out there, and I don't necessarily think that he will actually win - I don't think the Idol audience is that progressive - but bracket be damned, I'm putting him in the top slot anyway. I also doubt that Scott will be booted in the next few weeks, but I'm sticking to my guns and saying, he should be!

ABC reeled me in with its succinct description of "Better off Ted" and then peppered my inbox to make sure I didn't forget about its Wednesday night debut. But the truth is, I can't remember the last time I watched a good half-hour comedy on television, and after Ted's debut ... I'm still left pondering.

It's not that "Better off Ted" is a bad show. It's just got touches of absurdity that make it really hard to enjoy. The dialogue -- and the visual punchlines -- are rapid fire, everyone is overly cheerful and Ted (Jay Harrington), the head of research and development for a conglomerate called Veridian Dynamics, speaks directly to the camera all the time. (So if all the talk of weaponizing pumpkins and growing cowless meat in a test tube doesn't creep you out, extreme closeups of Harrington probably will.)

To be fair, the environment for TV comedy right now is pretty stale. Yet, "Better off Ted" feels a bit recycled, even when it's trying to carve its own niche with completely fearless pacing and over-the-top ridiculousness. Plus, Harrington is upstaged by most of his co-stars, including Portia De Rossi as a woman who will do just about anything to keep the cash flowing at Veridian.

Bottom line? This workplace comedy would probably work if it wasn't winking at the audience at every twist and turn. It's never good to continually pat yourself on the back, especially when too many of the jokes just end up hitting the floor.

I had a thought when I sat down to write about last night's Damages: this season could have introduced a whole new cast and story, and I would have been perfectly fine with it.

That's nothing against Glenn Close, who continues to be frightening yet sympathetic as Patty Hewes. The stuff involving her firm, her protege-turned-nemesis Ellen Parsons and former legal target Arthur Frobisher has all been compelling.

But when I think back to what I really liked about this season, most of it involves characters introduced in connection with Patty's newest target, the energy company UNR. My thought was: Damages season two could have focused solely on UNR's attorney Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden), a tough-but-ultimately principled lawyer trying take down her corrupt lover/boss.Most of this season's great supporting players would be there, like William Hurt's mysterious scientist Daniel Purcell, as well as "the Deacon," the reptilian fixer character portrayed by Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live.

"Namaste" wasn't as entertaining an episode as "LaFleur" was two weeks ago, nor was it was powerful as "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" the week before that. And it didn't contain any giant shocks, or even a lot of action.

But boy, there was a lot to like, wasn't there? Especially considering this was a "setting up the pieces" episode, letting us know which characters were where/when and who knows what.

I'll go into more detail about what made this hour so enjoyable on the next page, so if you haven't watched yet, well...you know the drill.

What. Just. Happened? Seriously. If I hadn't DVR-ed it, I might be able to convince myself I'm mistaken, but no. There Alexis is, freeze-framed, bowing out gracefully. What the heck, America??? Do you really love oil riggers that much?? Is Scott worth that much of a pity vote? I'm sorry if that's a bit scandalous to say, but honestly, you cannot tell me SCOTT'S pipes come anywhere near competing with Ms. Dirty. This is still a singing contest right? No. Never has been.

Is it really just, America favors men? I noticed for the first time tonight that our top 11 consisted of four women and seven men. FOUR. I mean, not that it has to be halvsies all the time, but come on. (I'm ranting aren't I?)

Ok. It's done. Alexis is leaving us and she will be missed. Now Lil, Megan Joy and Allison have to represent. Now that our top ten touristas are in place, we can really start thinking about who's in it to win it. Join me in some Idol march madness. More info tomorrow.

Idol traveled south Tuesday evening, opening the song book of the artists of the Grand Old Opry. Yeehaw. Country week is an oft dreaded and always ridiculed Idol tradition. Most singers just sound downright silly belting Dolly Parton or Garth Brooks. But I gotta say, these season eighters know wassup.

With each week, I'm realizing just how talented this crop is. For the most part, each contestant chose wisely and sang the crap out of his or her selection. Anoop and Kris rocked the tender ballads. Megan - who is now going by Megan Joy - was deliciously quirky "walking after midnight," despite being hospitalized with the flu (thanks, judges, for invoking the pity vote.) Danny was a little preachey, but I ain't mad at him. His power zone is just gorgeous. And Matty G: solid on the ivories, as per usual. Interesting choice singer Carrie Underwood's "So Small," but whatevs. He sounds pretty no matter what he sings.

Have you noticed I'm mainly praising the males? Sorry, girls, I wanna show love, but most were just meh for me tonight. Yeah. Ok, back to the boys! Let's talks about little Lambie and his killer INDIAN take "Ring of Fire." Maybe it's because I'm an Adam fan, or maybe it's because I'm not particularly familiar with Mr. Cash's work - please don't hit me - but I thought IT WAS AWESOME. Am I alone? That is SO something you'd see at a rock concert. For reals. I don't think he got enough credit. The judges lambasted several contestants for playing it safe, and yet here is Adam, turning the Idol model on its head, and he gets flack for it. I say boo to that. I think he's fabulous.

Who will get booted Wednesday? Please make it Scotty from Scottsdale. He's definitely talented, but vocally, he's light years behind the other contestants. What do you think?

Let me explain: Every year, the creators of Lost give a code name to the final scene of the season finale, as a way to indicate that what happens in that scene is so spectacular that it has to be referred to like a CIA secret.

The revelation that we were watching Jack in the future and not the past at the end of season three, for example, was called "the snake in the mailbox." This year, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are allowing fans to come up with a name. This of course has nothing to do with how the show is run, but it would be kind of cool to be involved on some level, right. Anyway, you can make your submissions here.

Incidentally, TV Guide.com is saying that there's rumors that the finale will involve the mysterious "incident" first referred to in season two in the orientation video. As if we weren't already buzzing.

This is the first of a new feature called "I finally watched it," in which we look at shows that we were unable to watch when they first aired. It can be classics we never got around to the first time, or newer shows we missed. In the case of NBC's Kings, it's the latter.

I tried watching Kings when it premiered Sunday night, and managed to get through 15 minutes before getting bored with it. But the reviews of the premiere, while mixed, all seemed to focus on the same thing: that this show was unlike anything else on TV.

Having watched the full episode, I can say that they're right. There are no shows on TV now based on stories from the Bible and taking place in what appears to be a modern, fictional nation.

Kings basically retells the story of David, Goliath, and King Saul. In the Bible, David kills Goliath, a giant, unstoppable soldier from an enemy army. He becomes a hero, and eventually takes over the throne of Israel.

In Kings, David isn't a shepherd; he's a mechanic turned soldier named Shepherd in the army of the country of Gilboa, which is at war with a neighboring nation called Gath. (Gilboa looks a lot like New York City, but with taller, shinierr buildings. The look of this show is one of its better features.)

When the king's son -- himself a soldier -- is kidnapped by the Gath army, David rescues him, destroying one of Gath's Goliath tanks in the process. David becomes a hero, and then a political symbol, for Gilboa and its king Silas, played by the excellent Ian McShane.

So, kind of like the Bible story, and unlike anything on TV. But is it any good?

Until the premiere of ABC's midseason drama Castle, I'd never heard of Nathan Fillion. According to his filmography he's been in a little bit of everything, including an 11-episode stint on Desperate Housewives (admittedly, a show that has never come close to falling on my radar).

But for an actor who has seemingly made a living floating from project to project, the role of Robert Castle seems to have been tailor-made for Fillion. He plays a famous mystery novelist bored to tears with his own success, but upon forming a tag-team with a female NYPD detective (Stana Katic) we see the wisecracking, sardonic and boyishly charming side of Castle come spilling out in waves.

In the first two episodes there's a lot of push-and-pull going on with the duo, though it's more verbal sparring at this point than any serious unresolved sexual tension. (Perhaps because Castle seems highly attracted his new "partner" -- only to find out she's just super annoyed at having him around ALL the time).

At any rate, I think the best thing about this show is going to be the humor in this new relationship -- especially when Castle and his new lady friend are busy stumbling onto dead bodies tumbling around in a clothes dryer. I mean...seriously, when's the last time you've seen that on Law & Order?

So, Senator Mayer turns out to be not such a bad guy. He has sympathy for what Jack's been through, and even takes a sort of benevolent, paternalistic tone when talking to a man who -- earlier in the day -- he'd wanted to see buried. The two end up working together, and share a thoughful, quiet exchange in which Jack tells more about himself than he has in years.

"You know what I regret the most? That this world even needs people like me," Jack says. It's a really well-acted scene.

Senator Mayer thinks Jack might be so jaded he's forgotten how to look at things. At this point, he seems like a decent guy, which is why it's no surprise...

I'm not sure at one point the "bizarre image to be explained later" opening will become a gimmick for Breaking Bad, but for now it's working. We're still puzzling over last week's charred, one-eyed teddy bear, while this week's episode opened with an image that was -- at first -- even more puzzling: Jesse's car, in the middle of the desert, it's out of control hydraulics bouncing like crazy, with the ground littered with bullet shells and broken glass.

Unlike the burned bear, we learned the story behind the bouncing car by the end of the hour, which was one of the show's best so far. If you haven't watched it yet, this is a good time to stop reading.

With Carla no longer calling the shots, it would only seem natural that Burn Notice's Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) would have a new nemesis to deal with. And this time, she's got a badge.

EW's Ausiello Files reports that Jennifer Esposito has been cast as Michelle Paxon, a Miami PD detective who becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about Michael (and all the things he's blown up in South Florida).

Esposito will reportedly debut early into BN's third season, which started shooting last week and is scheduled to premiere in June.

Reading-area chef Andrea Heinly created fireworks Thursday on Day Six of the fifth season of Hell's Kitchen. She and fellow chef and teammate Carol butted heads repeatedly throughout the episode in which the two teams had to serve at a bar mitzvah.

Andrea called it "humbling" to be the one considered for elimination last week and vowed to not let it happen again on Fox's culinary reality show.

The men and Lacey started off strong by winning a challenge to creat gourmet versions of the bar mitzvah boy's three favorite dishes - chicken soup, brisket and hamburger. Andrea and Carol clashed right away when Carol insisted on stuffing the Red Team's burger with blue cheese while Andrea said she should use a milder cheese. Andrea's warning turned out to be prophetic when 12-year-old Max rejected the Red Team's burger because he didn't like the cheese.

During dinner service, the bickering between Carol and Andrea continued and Andrea drew Chef Ramsay's wrath early on by not putting enough mushrooms in the risotto. As the women struggled Coi made a major mistake by forgetting to put the burgers on the grill. As part of the lady's punishment they had to hoist young Max in his chair during the traditonal dance of the Hora while the Blue Team pulled ahead.

With a successful service under their belts, Ramsay proclaimed the Blue Team victorious. He chose Andrea to nominate two teammates for consideration to be eliminated saying she had "bounced back" after the risotta incident. After struggling with her decision, Andrea nominated Coi and LA, a surprise because of the animosity between her and Carol. To her surprise they both said Andrea should go, a sentiment echoed by Carol. But Paula chose Coi and in the end a weeping Coi had to turn in her apron.

Next week promises to be an episode filled with fireworks as Andrea and Carol's resentment boils to a head when the ten remaining chefs compete.

I'll jump into last night's Grey's Anatomy episode in a minute, but first a shout out to one of my favorite websites. What's Alan Watching is a blog by the TV critic of the Star-Ledger that is on my must-visit-daily list. Not only does he cover an absurd amount of programming, I find myself nodding earnestly while reading most of his recaps. So go visit Alan if you get the chance, and in homage to him ...

Grey's spoilers coming up as soon as I get my epileptic bone removed...

“This is the Michael Scott we root for,” I wrote last week after watching “Blood Drive,” in which The Office’s main character acted -- for the most part -- like a decent, kind of reasonable human being.

The version we saw tonight in “Golden Ticket” was not the Michael Scott that we root for. He was cowardly, childish and inconsiderate. Yet he wasn’t unbearable, because he was responding to a realistic situation -- well as realisitc as a Willy Wonka themed paper promotion can get -- and because writer Mindy Kaling wisely chose to have other characters on hand to stand up to him.

Anyone catch the premiere of "Castle" this week on ABC? I'll admit now that I've only watched the first half- hour (too much to do, not enough time to do it), but I'm intrigued enough to at least finish the episode.

A quick troll of the web shows that critics have been rather meh about the series, which stars Nathan Fillion as Robert Castle, a famous author who learns a killer has started staging murders from scenes depicted in his novels -- the first a copycat from the also fictitious "Flowers for Your Grave."

To make a long story short, Castle teams up with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) to help with the investigation, causing sparks to fly between them. (And for just 30 minutes of viewing I think the chemistry between them played reasonably well. I'm just not sure this murder-mystery storyline has the legs for a full season).

I was more intrigued by the fact that Castle's extended family seems to have taken up residence in his house, including his mother Martha (a former Broadway actress with a larger-than-life personality). On the other hand, I'm trying to forget all about the nagging teenage daughter, who made me want to reach for the mute button on more than one occassion...

According to The Hollywood Reporter,the "Friday Night Lights" star has been tapped as the lead of the CW drama pilot "Body Politic."

She'll be joined by "Veronica Mars' " Jason Dohring and TV veteran Tim Matheson (whose work on "The West Wing" earned him two Primetime Emmy award nominations).

Kelly will play Hope, a young girl who leaves her life in Michigan after the death of her mother and heads to D.C., where her long-lost dad, Sen. Webster (Tim Matheson), has just been appointed Attorney General, and takes a job on his staff.

Dohring will reportedly play a reporter with the Washington Post.

According to the story, Kelly's casting does not mean that "FNL" is not coming back. Negotiations between NBC and DirecTV are still going on, and insiders are "optimistic" the show will return for a fourth season.

Meanwhile, Matheson has been busy behind the camera directing episodes of USA Network's "Burn Notice." He also had a guest-starring role in episode 2.08 of the shows' second season and is expected to reappear in season three when all new episodes begin in June.

NBC has unveiled a summer schedule packed with original scripted programming -- including the series premieres of "The Philanthropist," "Merlin" and "The Listener."

Also on the menu is the new alternative series "I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!" and "Great American Road Trip" plus the return of "America's Got Talent."

Two major miniseries will also air on the Peacock -- "The Meteor" on Sunday, June 7 (9-11 p.m. ET) and Sunday, June 14 (9-11 p.m. ET) as well as "The Storm" for broadcast on Sunday, July 19 (9-11 p.m. ET) and Sunday, July 26 (9-11 p.m. ET).

The announcements were made today by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.

All season long, it seemed like a goofy little running gag: whenever we'd see the two FBI agents investigating Patty Hewes, one of them, Agent Werner (played by series co-creator Glenn Kessler) would get pulled away by a phone call from his ex-wife, Pam.

He'd sigh, roll his eyes, and his partner would shake his head. And it seemed like the scene would play out the same way at the start of last night's episode. Until...

There was a lot of buzz about what Ryan meant by "a change in the rules," and I gotta say, the hype was deserved. This season, the four judges will be able to save one - and just one - contestant from elimination. The catch is the decision has to be unanimous and then the following week, two Idols must leave the dome. Producers alluded to Chris Daughtry, Michael Johns and Jennifer Hudson as singers that left too soon. Perhaps, Ryan said, if they'd stayed, they could have won. I don't know about that. I mean, they didn't have enough votes to stay. Isn't that the whole point of VOTING.

But whatevs. They're just adding it to enhance the drama of the results show. Now Ryan can look at the panel and ask, "will you save her?" Like they're gods. Tonight, for Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez, that answer was a very quick, "No."

Yes, our little Latino and our pageant queen are leaving us. I think Jasmine deserved to go - she shouldn't have been a Wild Card pick in the first place - but I'm sad to see Jorge peace out. I think he has a lot of talent, and as I've said before, it's nice to see diversity of a different kind on the Idol stage.

But then I think, Anoop stays! And I kinda forget about Jorge. (Sorry, man.) Once again, the south asian cutie has evaded elimination at the last possible moment. They really love to torture that one.

On a live broadcast of The View from the Walt Disney studios in California, Dempsey said, "We all have contracts. We're not going anywhere for (at least) two more years... we all signed the same contract."

When pressed for more details by Barbara Walters, Dempsey added, "As far as I know, noboby's leaving the show. I think we should all be quite grateful that we have jobs right now."

The man known as "Dr. McDreamy" also dropped hints about upcoming nuptials on Grey's between his character and Meredith. Dempsey said they've already filmed an engagement scene and that there will be a "union" by season's end.

Since 1-866-IDOLS-13 is a number for a phone-sex operation, "American Idol" producers gave the 13th and final performer of last night - Alexis Grace, the 21-year-old single mother from Memphis, TN - a brand new phone number.

After Grace, wearing a black micro mini, sizzled the stage with a searing performance of Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana," Ryan Seacrest told viewers to call 1-866-IDOLS-36 to vote for the singer. Explaining that the unusual number was chosen because the show started with 36 finalists, Seacrest made no mention of the fact that calls to 1-866-IDOLS-13 yield promises of “hot, horny girls” and “nasty talk” for $3.99 a minute. However, wearing a smug smile, Seacrest cryptically warned "Be careful when you dial."

The other 12 contesants were assigned the usual phone numbers 1-866-IDOLS-01 through 1-866-IDOLS-12 which are owned by "American Idol."

The phone-sex line became an issue last week when judge Simon Cowell announced there would be an unprecedented 13th finalist. But apparently producers never planned ahead for an extra when buying the phone numbers. The entreprenuerial phone-sex organization, which bills itself “Intimate Encounters,” also answers if you dial 1-866-IDOLS-00.

But after tonight, when two singers are eliminated, the issue will be moot.

I'd never heard "Dirty Diana," but I'm having a hard time getting out of my head, Thank you, hot momma Alexis Grace. Anyway, how bout them Idols, huh? Honestly, I don't know why I set the bar so low for these contestants. I mean, clearly they beat out a lot of people to get to where they are, and yet I have to say I was taken aback by the amount of goodness this evening. Seriously. There were several performances that I thought were pretty kickass.

Perhaps the most surprising: Kris Allen. KRIS ALLEN, who I forgot was in the competition until he appeared onstage (never a good sign.) Maybe it was the guitar or maybe it was the matching monogrammed aprons he donned with his super cute blondie wife, but I was feelin it. His "Remember the Time" was actually something I'd listen to on the radio. The singing out of the side of his mouth thing was a little strange, but hey. If his jaw has no ish, I'm solid.

The most unsurprising kill of the night: Little Lamb, Adam Lambert. Once again I have to say, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. Whether you dig his style or not - my mother, for one, has said she finds him creepy ... I think it's the goth hair and wallet chain - the boy has pipes. And this is going to sound a little cheeseball of me, but I almost started to cry when the judges were saying how he was leaps and bounds beyond any other contestant this year (or as Paula went so far as to say, ANY year). He's worked so hard! Go get it, little lamb. They should revive Cabaret (again) just so he can play the emcee. Can't you see it?

Beyond that I thought Danny was adorable as well as powerful, Megan was HOT even if she did a song preschoolers sing in class and Scotty from Scottsdale was so much more compelling on the piano. I give all of them the green light. As for Jasmine, Lil, Matt, Allison and Michael: Meh. Talented but not particularly memorable.

We lose two, not one, person tomorrow. Anoop. We are talking to you. If you survive this round (a toss up, at this point) you CANNOT mess up again. We love you, but singing bar faves will get you no where.

You find out you have terminal cancer, and start manufacturing a deadly, illegal drug to support your family after you die. You think it will be easy, but within a few weeks, you've committed two murders -- although they were in self-defense -- and witnessed a third. The DEA is getting close to finding you, and if the cancer doesn't kill you, a drug lord probably will.

I'm describing the premise for AMC's Breaking Bad, which returned to TV Sunday night -- although I haven't been able to watch the season premiere until tonight. I just as easily could have been describing a nightmare. But right now it's one of the best acted and written, most suspenseful dramas out there.

Breaking stars Bryan Cranston (pictured above, in the glasses) as Walter White, a New Mexico high school teacher who turns to cooking meth after he learns he has cancer. He has a pregnant wife and a son with cerebral palsy, and he wants to make sure they're OK after he dies. At the start of season two, Walt figures he needs to make $737,000 -- enough for two college tuitions, the mortgage, and various other expenses -- by doing 11 more drug deals. All he has to do is stay alive, out of jail, keep lying to his wife, and hope he doesn't get any sicker.

It's not the most enticing subject matter, but Cranston -- who rightly won an Emmy last year and deserves another this year -- sells it completely. He's desperate, in way over his head, but also alive in ways he hadn't been before now. As we learned last season, Walt had once been part of a Nobel Prize winning team of scientists, but now finds himself teaching chemistry to kids who could care less about the periodic table. His new, secret job has awakened something in him. And at the same time, he still has a frighteningly analytical mind, which I'll get to in a minute. As always, spoilers are ahead.

Parents may want to encourage their kids to text their vote for their favorite “American Idol” performer tonight. If they call, they may accidentally get a phone-sex line.

Last week, producers of the Fox reality show made a surprise announcement that Anoop Desai, a 21-year-old singer from Chapel Hill, N.C., would be the show’s unprecedented 13th finalist.

In the past, contestants have been assigned phone numbers 1-866-IDOLS-01 through 1-866-IDOLS-12 for viewers to vote for their favorite performers. So with one extra contestant, you might assume that Desai will get the next number in the progression — lucky 13. But anyone trying to dial 1-866-IDOLS-13 could be in for a shock.

“Hey there sexy guy” purrs a female voice who goes on to promise “hot, horny girls” and “nasty talk” to anyone willing to provide a credit card number. The phone-sex organization, which bills itself “Intimate Encounters,” also answers if you dial 1-866-IDOLS-00.

On American Idol’s Web site, it only says each contestant will be assigned an unspecified toll-free number and text message short code number during the show tonight.

If producers continue with the numbers used in the past, they will have to assign a different number for the 13th contestant. But it seems it would put one contestant at a disadvantage.

However sources say Idol will assign another number to the 13th contestant and it will be explained in tonight's show.

You'd think by now there'd be handbook for federal employees in the 24 universe, and it would say something like: "No matter what happens, Jack Bauer will probably turn out to be right, so questioning him will only waste time and probably cost people their lives."

I mean, why do they keep playing this card? I get that Jack is in new territory, but you'd think his past exploits would have earned in some credit in the counter-terrorism world.

Plus, this means that Jack is -- again -- a fugitive. Groan. That I wasn't keen on this week -- that and the president's daughter; why is that plot line supposed to interest us? -- but overall, I'm interested enough to keep watching. But before we say anything anything else (spoiler ahead)...

The desk just received this press release from the Miss America organization:

"The Miss America's Outstanding Teen Organization announced today that Jasmine Murray, Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teen 2007, made it into the Top 13 on American Idol. Murray was one of four contestants chosen by the judges during Thursday night's Wild Card competition. Murray was a top 10 finalist at Miss America's Outstanding Teen and has received recognition for her outstanding community service with the U.S. Dream Academy. She was also a special guest performer at Miss America 2008."

I KNEW IT. Her smile. Her posture. It screamed pageant queen. Well, I guess she's in the (scholarship) money now. I wonder if she'll sing about world peace?